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Love is the Motive
I have officially started my last transfer in the newly-formed Philippines Dumaguete Mission, and my time in the field is running out quickly. I recently got a personal admonition from my mission president not to get trunky, so we’ll make the most out of it!
When we get “trunky” or unmotivated in anything that we do in life, it means that we have lost interest and that we feel apathetic about that particular goal or pursuit for a number of reasons. I’ve honestly felt that sometimes on the mission, during days or weeks when the work didn’t seem to be progressing and our efforts seemed to be in vain.
There is an antidote for this. On his first day as our new mission president, President Reyes gave five shared values within the mission that he hoped we would all apply. One of them is this: Love is the Motive.
Love is the “essence of the Gospel”, President Monson once explained. “We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all . . . and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love.”
I’ve come to realize that true Christlike love is selfless, while the love of the world is selfish. As we seek to follow Christ’s example, we will begin to see others the way He sees them and replace our anger with kindness, envy with gratitude, and our fear with confidence. President Eyring once counseled, “the Lord has opportunities near you to feel and to share His love. . . . As you help children of God in their troubles, your own troubles will seem lighter. Your faith and your hope will be strengthened.”
Not only should we feel this love, we should share it! Whether it be a simple “thank you” to a stranger or sharing the gospel with a loved one, we can help fill the entire world with love. Let us look around for opportunities to express this pure, genuine love with those around us. When you feel unmotivated, let love be the motive.